Second Chances
by Humble4
Summary: There comes a time when everyone needs a second chance.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. All recognizable characters belong to SM.

Second Chances:

A Bella and Edward Story

Edward got out of the vehicle and thanked the driver for giving him a ride. Riley apologized for not being able to take him any further but he was picking up his sister at the next exit. Bree would surely tattle to his parents about him picking up a hitchhiker. Riley just didn't need the drama that would be sure to follow. He just wanted a peaceful holiday with his family.

Edward assured the young man that he understood and was grateful.

He was truly grateful that he had been dropped off at an actual town and not some truck stop. He was hoping to find work and a fresh start. He sent a prayer up to Heaven asking for all the help he could get.

He started walking in the direction that Riley had told him to take. The weather was getting colder out and he needed to find shelter for the night.

Edward had been walking for miles and had yet to see a single home. It was just miles of forests on both sides of the road. It has started to snow heavily and then the snow turned to freezing rain.

Edward finally saw driveway. He slipped and slid his way up the driveway but once he got there, he didn't have the courage to knock on the front door to ask for shelter. He decided that he would just wait out the storm on the wraparound porch. He took off his backpack and sat down in the corner that seem to be the driest.

He was starving, exhausted, soaked through to the skin and freezing. He honestly didn't know if he would make it through the night. God willing he would.

Bella logged off her company computer. It hadn't been as busy as most days. Many companies were sending their employees home early due to the upcoming storm. She had spent most of the afternoon working on email correspondence rather than taking customer calls.

She was very grateful that her company allowed her to do her customer service job from home. The Head Office was four towns away and quite a commute.

Not having to commute wasn't the only thing that made her grateful.

Bella suffered with anxiety when it came to leaving her home. Even before that horrible day, she had trouble facing the world. She had always been painfully shy and socially awkward. She would try to force herself to go out and run errands but fear and hours of extreme stomach upset made her limit those trips. When she returned home from even a short amount of time out, she would need to sleep for hours afterwards because her body was just drained. The less that she faced the world the better.

Fortunately, most things these days can be ordered online. She had her groceries delivered. The groomer came to her home and anything else that she needed could be shipped via the postal service or courier.

The fear wasn't as bad if she had someone with her but she was a grown woman and couldn't depend on others to hold her hand every time she wanted to do something. Also, her closest friend lived five towns away. They spoke on the phone often but were lucky if they saw each other once every other year. Everyday life has a habit of getting in the way.

Bella wasn't alone though. She had a loyal companion in her little, white, Bichon Shitzu, Grace. One thing that made Grace so special is that she rarely barked. Bella had always found small dogs to be the ones that never seemed to be quiet. She realized what a treasure her Grace was right from the start.

Bella was very surprised when Grace ran to the front door and then returned to her an uttered a single bark and then ran back to the door.

Bella knew that she didn't want to go out because Grace was paper trained. She picked up her little dog and carefully opened the front door. She didn't see anything so she stepped out onto the wraparound porch. Grace was looking over her shoulder and whining so Bella turned around. She was startled to see a man huddled in the corner of her porch, shivering.

Her heart broke for this poor soul.

"Hello, my name is Bella and this is Grace. Please come inside and get warm." She said with a smile.

Edward looked up when he heard the door open. He was embarrassed to be caught outside on their porch but there was nothing he could do about that. He just hoped the home owner would have mercy and not demand that he get off their property.

He was shocked when the young woman invited him inside.

"Aren't you afraid that I will harm you?" Edward asked in bewilderment.

Bella just laughed at the ridiculousness of that question.

"Sir, if you had intended to harm me. You wouldn't be out on my porch trying to brave the elements on a night that isn't fit for man or beast. Please come inside." She said more firmly this time. She then turned around and went back into her home.

Edward got up and followed her inside. He sent another prayer up to Heaven. He was thankful that the good Lord had shown him mercy and sent him an angel in his time of need.

"Thank you very much. My name is Edward Cullen and I am new to town. I just made it into town when the storm hit. I am sorry that you found me on your porch but I couldn't go any further in this weather." He said looking down in embarrassment.

"It's very nice to meet you, Edward. The only thing that you need to apologize for is not knocking on the door so you could get out of the storm." Bella said rather sternly.

He kept his eyes on the floor.

"I know how difficult it is to ask for help so I understand." She said with a kind smile.

Edward looked up and they shared a look of understanding.

"Now, please follow me. You need to get out of your wet clothing. I am sure that all of your belongings in your backpack are also soaked through so you can use some of my father's clothing." She turned to walk up the stairs and Edward followed her.

"This was my father's room before he died. You can use it. The closet and dresser are full of clothing. You look to be about the same size. Please help yourself. I'll leave a towel for you in the bathroom. I'm sure you'll feel better after a hot shower. When you're finished, you can throw your things in the washer and dryer and come and help me fix dinner." Bella said before leaving the room.

Edward made his way to the dresser and closet to select something to change into. There was nothing fancy but almost everything still had its store tags on it. Bella's father must have bought an entire new wardrobe before her died. Edward's heart went out to Bella. It seemed as though he had found a kindred spirit. She also understood pain.

He went into the bathroom and saw that she had left out a towel along with a toothbrush, a razor, shaving cream and men's body wash. All were also new.

He was relieved to have a shower. It had been days since his last one. It had been at the shelter he had stayed in before leaving the last town he was in.

He collected all of his wet and dirty items and headed downstairs.

Grace greeted him at the foot of the stairs and stood on her hind legs and waved her front paws at him. He bent down and patted her head as he allowed her to give him kisses.

Bella giggled as she witnessed this little scene.

She led Edward into the laundry room and showed him how to use the machines and then left him to it. Edward loved how she didn't hover. Once, his things were in the wash, he joined her in the kitchen.

Bella left Edward upstairs to get cleaned up. She carried Grace down the stairs. Grace was scared of the stairs and insisted on being carried. This was no hardship as Bella loved to cuddle with her little friend.

She had started a simple dinner of spaghetti with meat sauce, salad and garlic bread before she had gone to let Edward in.

She checked and saw that her homemade sauce was simmering nicely. She had made the dough for an apple pie earlier in the day so she took that out and had just put the pie in the oven when Edward came downstairs.

She was pleased to see that Grace was comfortable around Edward and vice versa.

She looked at him all cleaned up and had to admit he was a handsome man. He was a tall man. He had to be 6' 2" just like her father because Charlie's clothes fit him perfectly. He had a strong jaw line and beautiful green eyes. He also had the most unusual coloured hair. It reminded her of an old penny. Although, it was an unusual colour it really suited his fair skin nicely and seemed to bring out his eyes.

She led him into the laundry room to show him how to work the machines and then returned to the kitchen. She got the garlic bread ready and when Edward joined her in the kitchen, she asked him to make the salad.

He was more than happy to help in any way he could.

Once everything was ready, they sat and had a quiet meal. Although there was no talking, there was also no awkwardness. They shared a few shy smiles and laughed together as Grace ran back and forth between them hoping to get a bite to eat.

After dinner, Edward helped Bella do the dishes and then moved his things from the washer into the dryer.

They took their pie and a pot of coffee into the living room and got comfortable.

"So what brings you to town, Edward? Bella asked.

"I am looking for a fresh start. I have to find a job and a place to stay. I am hoping that once the storm has passed I will be able to head into town and do that." Edward said.

"What kind of work are you looking for?" She asked.

"Anything really, I just want to work." He said.

"Are you any good at yard work?" Bella inquired.

"Yes. All through high school, I earned money taking care of the yards in the neighborhood and shoveled snow in the winter." Edward said with a smile. "Why, do ask?"

Bella bit her lower lip. Edward found it so adorable.

He had been finally gotten a chance to take in her appearance during their dinner. She was a very pretty woman. She was petite with wavy brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail and she had huge brown eyes.

Bella got up and retrieved her laptop from her office. She opened it to a file she had been working on for two advertisements. The first was for a furnished room for rent. The second was for a person to do yard work and run the odd errand. She had been planning on placing the ads next week.

She showed them to Edward and sat down and snuggled with Grace while he read them.

Edward read the ads and looked up at Bella in wonder. Had his prayer really been answered?

"It seems as though my prayers have been answered." Bella said rather quietly.

"I was just thinking the same thing." Edward replied in awe.

"Edward, I lost my father last year. I had come down to visit him for the long weekend and he shared the news that he had met a wonderful woman and needed my help updating his wardrobe so that he didn't embarrass her when they went out. We went shopping and replaced everything in his closet. It was a fun day for us both. The next day we went to church and had a lovely brunch with his lady friend. That night, he was called into work. The officer that was on duty needed to leave because his wife went into labour.

My dad was the Chief of Police. He always insisted that his men spend those special moments with their loved ones because you can never get those moments back. He went to cover the shirt for the young officer.

I won't go into all of the details. What's important is that there was a robbery at the gas station. The robber was high on drugs and ended up shooting my father. He died instantly and the officer that was with him, shot the robber.

Since then, I have suffered with terrible anxiety that makes it difficult for me to leave the house. Fortunately, my employer lets me work from home and most things these days can be delivered right to the door.

Doing yard work is something that I need help with. My dad took great care of the outside of the house and I took care of the inside. I don't want to see all of his hard work go to waste.

The errands that I mentioned aren't many.

A few times a year, I need to see the doctor so I can get my prescriptions renewed. I also need to take Grace for her annual vet visit and pick up some things that cannot be delivered.

I find that if I have someone go with me, I can cope much better.

I hate asking for help so I figure that if I hire someone, I can still be independent and not feel as though I am a burden on my friends." Bella explained.

"Bella, I am sorry that your father was killed. I am sorry for the pain that you are still in. I would like to accept the job that you are offering as well as the room for rent but before I do, I need to tell you a little bit about my history.

"I come from a family that is comfortable but not wealthy.

My dad is a doctor but he didn't go into medicine to become rich. He went into medicine to help others. He opened a private practice but half of his time is devoted to patients that cannot afford medical care. He provides his services to them free of charge.

My mom is a stay at home mom. As we got older, she started volunteering at the local homeless shelter.

My sister is just a year younger than I am and we had a really close relationship. After I finished school, I was offered a job teaching music at a private school. I was thrilled.

Everything was going so well during my first semester teaching.

I invited my sister, Alice, to accompany me to the Christmas party that was being held for the staff at the school.

I was always on the shy side and spent all of my time concentrating on my studies so I had never really dated.

One of my colleagues heard that I was bringing my sister so he brought his as well. At the party James seemed to hit it off with my sister and his sister Victoria seemed to have taken a liking to me or so I thought.

James and Alice had gone off to get drinks and had been a while. Every time, I tried to excuse myself, Victoria would persuade me to stay.

It wasn't until the Principal's wife came running to get me that I knew something was terribly wrong.

James had asked Victoria to keep me occupied so that he could be alone with Alice. He had led her to the music room under the pretence of playing a song on the piano for her. Instead he sexually assaulted her. The Principal and his wife were late getting to the party and were passing the music room on their way to the auditorium. The Principal knocked James out and stood guard until the Police arrived. His wife ran to get me.

James went to prison for sexual assault and Victoria got probation for being an accessory.

After the trial, Alice tried to commit suicide. My sweet, little sister suffered because she was helping me out.

I know that it's not my fault that she got raped. That fault lies with James and Victoria but I still can't face her or my parents.

Alice was finally released from the hospital and was brought home; I apologized for the umpteenth time and told her that I loved her before leaving home for good.

That was a year ago. I have been wandering from town to town ever since. I've worked odd jobs and stayed in shelters or on the street. I didn't feel as though I deserved any better. I felt as though I had to suffer for Alice's pain. I kept praying to have my burden lifted but it seemed as though the answer to my prayers was always, no, until now." Edward said.

"Edward, you have a wonderful heart. I understand why you felt guilty for an act that wasn't your fault. I truly believe that God sent you here today so that we can both have a second chance at happiness. God has always wanted us to be happy but we needed to believe that we deserved it. We are both finally in the right place." Bella said rather solemnly.

Edward and Bella sat in silence for a long while just digesting what they had heard.

"Edward, you said that your sister's name is Alice and your family name is Cullen. Is your sister very petite and does she have black hair and blue eyes?" Bella asked.

"Yes, she does. How did you know that?" Edward asked.

Bella reached for her laptop and opened an email that she had received from her cousin, Rosalie Whitlock, the previous week. It was wedding announcement for Jasper Whitlock and Alice Cullen. It even had a picture of the happy couple.

Edward stared at the picture with tears streaming down his face. He could finally move on now that his precious sister had found her Happily Ever After.

"Thank you, Bella. You have no idea how good it feels to see that. So, are the job offer and room for rent offer still available for me?" He asked rather hopefully.

"Yes, Edward they are. Do you accept?" She asked.

"Yes, I certainly do. Let's toast." He said with a smile.

They both held their coffee cups and brought them together.

"Here's to second chances." Bella said with a giggle.

"Yes, to second chances. Everyone deserves one." Edward said with a grin.

Grace looked between them both and let out a single bark in agreement.


	2. Banner Request

Dear Readers,

I am looking for someone who can make a banner for my stories. Please let me know if you can help.

Regards,

Humble4


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